Schott’s Gym Scores Big at Solid Turning Stone Event

Vera's jab finds Rodrigues already gone and set to counter with a right hand

(Many thanks to Lonnie McCabe for the photos – MR)

The roads were bad and the drive was long, but the show made it all worthwhile.

The first congratulations must go to Mike Mazzulli, Technical Consultant with the Oneida Nation Athletic Commission and his support staff for organizing such a flawless night for the nearly 1,000 fans who came with high expectations, as boxing fans always do.

The next kudos go to Schott’s Gym, whose three out of four fighters won in 3rd round stoppages, and the fourth in a unanimous decision.

Let’s start at the top. The feature event was nothing less than ESPN on a good night. Austin, TX’s super middleweight Brian Vera (16-4-2 [10 KOs]) squared of against West Berlin, NJ’s Isaac Rodrigues (17-0 [13 KOs]). Vera is known to many as one of the featured boxers on the third season of the boxing reality TV series, “The Contender.” He’s also known as the winner in a stunning upset over Andy Lee in March of 2008. Vera is the real deal.

Rodrigues scores as judge Tom Schreck looks on

Rodrigues, who came to New Jersey from his native Belem, Para, Brazil, has just been piling one win after another against decent, but not necessarily outstanding opponents that have included recent wins against the veteran Marcus Primera (20-18-2), Brad Austin (8-7), and Jose Medina (14-14).

But last night was different because Brian Vera is different – a definite step up for Rodrigues. It showed from the opening bell as Vera scored easily from weird angles, slipping most of what was thrown at him, and taunting Rodrigues with a menacing smile.

Rounds two and three were like watching round 1 two more times. Rodrigues couldn’t find the answer to Vera’s relentless pursuit and total disrespect of his power.

But then in round four, something changed. Rodrigues began making Vera pay for his aggression with sparkling counters over the top. Whenever Vera would throw something, there’d be some Rodrigues leather in his face. Vera’s smile was no longer to be found. He suddenly knew he was in a fight.

Don’t ask how I would have scored the rest of the bout. I was too busy marveling at the skill being displayed within 15 feet of me. If I could box like either one of these guys, I wouldn’t be sitting at a laptop writing about it, let me tell you.

Rodrigues got the decision and it didn’t surprise me. But it wouldn’t have surprised me had the winner been Vera, or if it had been a draw. It was just a great fight by two warriors who don’t know the meaning of surrender.

The co-feature saw Schott’s Brian Miller (7-0-3 [3 KOs]) tangling with the toughest opponent of his career. Bronx’s Jose Guzman (5-7-1) has a record that could easily give you the wrong idea. A member of the 2005 U.S. National Team, Guzman brought 100 amateur fights into the ring last night. He was composed, almost serene, at the weigh-in the night before when he told me, “Whatever he shows me, I’ve seen it before,” referring to Miller. But Miller is the NYS lightweight champion and had some thoughts of his own on the matter.

Guzman's jab found Miller early on

From the opening bell, it looked like Guzman would prove he was right. Miller couldn’t get to the taller Guzman who would use his right jab, switch to orthodox, and move gracefully around the ring, until it was time to step in and unload as a lefty again. Things did not look good for Brian Miller. Then came the third round and, as they say in boxing, anything can happen.

For Guzman it was a Miller overhand right hand that ruined the night he had planned. Miller wasted no time finishing what he’d started until Guzman was left leaning against the ropes with his legs shaking. Although many felt that referee Dick Pakozdi stepped in too quickly at 2:59 of the third round, he was right to do what he did. Guzman was through.

Mike Faragon (10-0-3 [4 KOs]) looked as good as I’ve ever seen him in his contest against the Bronx lightweight Fernando Basora (8-6 [7 Kos]). Mikey looked stronger than usual. Within seconds of the opening bell, he opened a cut over Basora’s left eye. Still, he had trouble finding Basora in the first couple of rounds. Mikey later explained that for the past six weeks they’d been training for a lefty. When Basora came at him right handed, Mikey had trouble finding the range – for a while.

Fernando Basora and Mikey Faragon

But you could almost sense that Faragon’s superior strength and movement would explode any second, and it did in the third round. A right hand found Basora, and down he went, and then one more time for good at 1:14 of round three.

When Brooklyn featherweight Amanda Serrano (5-0-1 [3 KOs]) steps into the ring, she carries a lot of expectations with her. She was voted WBAN’s 2009 Rookie of the Year, fighting five times last year. One of them was a draw against Ela Nunez, the fighter who stopped world champion Kina Malpartida a couple of years ago.

So when she put her undefeated record against the lesser skilled, but willing Lucia Larcines (4-5) from Montreal, it looked as though it would be a short night. Serrano may be real good and headed for big things, but Larcines surprisingly gave Serrano trouble last night, at least in the sense that Serrano was unable to put her away.

Lucia Larcinese and Amanda Serrano, as Judge Don Ackerman keeps score

More of a straight-in fighter, Serrano chose to chase the always moving Larcines, instead of cutting off the ring, thoughtfully and methodically. But she’ll learn. The decision was never in doubt as Serrano stepped out of the ring with another easy victory.

Schott’s Reggie Scott (1-0) found a nice way to spend his pro debut, as he easily handled Shreveport, LA’s Demarcus Clark (1-2). But Clark was no slouch as he surprised Scott and trainer Kyle Provenzano by not coming out in an aggressive assault. Clark is a former college football player who was expected to try muscling Scott early, but was instead a little more reserved and clever.

He frustrated Scott in the first couple of rounds by getting under his punches to score some of his own. The fight was stopped at 2:10 of the third round due to cuts Scott had opened on Clark early on.

Markus Williams punishes a game, but out matched Rondu Campbell

Schenectady super middleweight Markus Williams (4-1 [1 KO]) showed real maturity in his defeat of Brooklyn’s Rondu Cambell (2-4 [1 KO]). Campbell tired early and began to hang on Williams who found the answer to that by coming up the middle with an uppercut each time. Very smart.

Williams landed several left hooks that had Campbell expecting more; so, in response, Williams would send a right. The fight would have ended earlier if Williams had thrown with bad intentions, instead of often slapping. Nonetheless, the well-deserved decision was his.

Schott’s Broderick Antoine (10-8-1 [5 KOs]) showed everybody once again that his record is v-e-r-y misleading. This is no 10-8 fighter. Antoine, proudly displaying “RIP Ricky Melton” on his trunks in honor of the Troy trainer who passed away on February 10, defeated Norberto Frias (8-7-1 [2 KOs]) simply because B.J.’s a better fighter.

Antoine looked solid from the start, displaying superior movement and intelligent placement of punches, including body shots – one of which marked the beginning of the end for Frias, as referee Charlie Fitch rightly stopped the fight over Frias’ protestations.